El Nido Things to Do

El Nido means Island Hopping Tour for me.

Island hopping is usually divided into 3 categories: Tour A, B & C.

Islands/beaches/caves to visit:

Tour A: Small,Big & Secret Lagoons at Matinloc Island, Simizu Island, Seven Commando Beach and Entalula Island

Tour B: Pangulasian Island, Snake Island, Cudugnon Cave, Cathedral Cave, Lagen Island (sidetrip only), Pinagbuyutan Island

Tour C: Matinloc Shrine at Matinloc Island, Secret Beach at Matinloc Island, Tapiutan Island

For tour package inquiries:

JB Travel & Tours
Telefax : +63 48 4341461
Mobile 1 : +63 9194698281
Mobile 2 : +63 9175530421
Email address: jbtravelandtours@yahoo.com.ph

The EL NIDO TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATION, INC. is organizing yearly in September the EL NIDO CADLAO CHALLENGE, a 2.5km Swimming race from Cadlao island to the mainland,

Join the Endurance Swim for Fun or to compete and a stunning scenery of El Nido.

More information on this years event:
www.cadlaochallenge.multiply.com

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On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, beside the municipal hall on the roofed basketball court you will find a small market with all the local agricultural and marine produce and some items that get shipped in such as apples and oranges :)
The real highlight is the lechon, a roasted pig that gets cut up not later than 7 a.m. Have a look at a masterful hog raiser, lechon roaster and butcher: If you ask for 700 grams, you'll get 700 grams. This goes with lechon sauce "Mang Tomas" sold bottled in the shops. If you are early, you can choose a piece of the filet with some crispy skin. Delicious!
Or buy large crab, two or three bags of grated coconut and bring it to your favorite place to have it cooked, 'ginataan' for your dinner: Crab in coconut sauce.
Or just get some kalamansi, the little greenish lemon typ, to make some hot juice against your cold from too much aircon ... :)

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There are several places in El Nido, where you can rent a kayak, but only one that is run by a true adventurist and kayak professional, Serge Farre from France, with professional kayaking equipment.
You can rent any of the six kayaks for half a day, one day or set with Serge overnight trips with camping, snorkling, sightseeing, sports and fun ...
And mind you, Serge will not send you off, if he expects strong winds, unfavorable weather conditions that may endanger you. I saw him turn people away on these grounds and the weather forecast was proved wrong. Serge shrugged his shoulders, better safe than sorry.
Are you a beginner? Get a short lesson before venturing off, discuss a tour and have a good look at the seascape map indicating water depth, sand or corals.

There are many island-hopping tour operators in El Nido. They all seem to offer the same tours: A, B, C and sometimes D. There are two price ranges which differ Php 100 per person per tour. But there are other unmentioned differences. Here is a brief list:

-THE FOOD: Most tours come with food included but some give you a Php 100 discount if you don't want it. Generally the meal consists of grilled fish, salad, rice and bananas. Some tours also have pork and chicken in the menu but just before leaving they can say "ah, sorry we have only fish today". In some cheaper places you can pay Php 50 pp to add these on the menu.

-TOUR PROGRAM: Although it is written down somewhere it is good to talk to the boatman or the tour operator before the tour and make sure you will go to all those places. If not you may get answers like "oh, now there is a resort there, it's private", or "it's high tide now" (of course they very well know when is the tide and when you'll be there).

-SNORKELING STUFF: Your snorkeling experienced can be ruined by a leaking mask or snorkel (pipe). Just know that since you are paying extra for these (100 each) you don't have to get them from the place you take the tour. And check the mask by pressing it on your face without the strap and inhaling a little. It has to be finely vacuumed on your face. Check the pipe by covering the end and breathing in to see if any air is coming in. Some tour organizers have discount if you rent their equipment with the tour.

-THE BOAT: Depending on the size of the group, there are small boats and big boats. Small boats have their seats facing forward while big boats have them facing center (watching each other). Bigger boats cannot come very close to the beaches while small boats sometimes almost land on the beach. The size of tarp which will protect you from the sun and possible rain does not depend on the size of boat.

-RESERVATION: Although you'll be asked to confirm your tour one day before you don't have to do this, in case it rains in the morning or you change your mind. You can walk along the beach in the evening and ask if there are already any confirmed tours (which means there are already some people who confirmed and possibly paid) and join them in the morning if you like. In fact you can even do this in the morning.

-AWARENESS: If you know anything about corals you may be shocked by the senseless destruction the tour boats do to the corals. They break so many corals, it's hard to imagine there'll be any more left after 10 years. Most are already dead and the rest is disappearing. So please do not touch any corals or break them and tell the people on your boat to do the same (read entry under Dangers & Annoyances).

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The pandan tree throws a beautiful fruit that’s not really sweet, but its leaves have long been used as weaving material for mats and children’s toys like the ones you see here. During an intense squall, our boatmen entertained our island hopping tour participants by showing us how to put together these attractive toys in just a few minutes

Snorkeling in El Nido is mediocre. It may have been a function of recent rains, but the visibility is cloudy and there’s not a lot of variety. The corals also appear to be a bit damaged. However, there are quite a number of fish and if it’s your only chance, it’s worth spending a little time doing this.

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Island hopping involves taking a Bangka boat from El Nido’s main beach to any one of dozens of little beauty spots in the Bacuit Archipelago. Be sure you get a boat that seems well-maintained and well-run. The one I chartered through El Nido Art café was just fine, though you could probably shave 50 pesos by shopping around.

Activities you can count on include some cave exploration, swimming & snorkeling and perhaps some sea kayaking. I wouldn’t particularly recommend this last, because my own kayak adventure lasted less than ½ an hour and wasn’t really that much in the way of exploration or exercise.

Still, on a sunny day, you can get absolutely knockout beach and water views and it’s nice to be out on the open water.